Natural
by watch-me-write
Summary: Neither of them thought twice about how they had gotten to that point or why. Because, in the end, it was only the natural thing to do... Ash and Gary were always unusually close. But it had felt so natural to them, it wasn't much of a surprise what happened next.


**Natural**

Wow, so...I kinda wasn't expecting to write a Pokemon fic! :D Let alone a yaoi for Ash and Gary. I mean, this was my childhood love! And I'm going to go and turn it into something...so not innocent XD And yet, I sorta couldn't help myself. I'd been going through a very annoying dry spell for ideas and fandoms. I didn't have a favourite pair to write for and so didn't have anything to write...and then, somehow, I found myself looking for Ash x Gary fanart...and they were _so_ cute! :O Like, amazingly awesomely cute!

This idea was prompted in my head after seeing two particular pictures: one with Ash and Gary kissing on a rocking mareep, which I assume is the equivalent to a rocking horse, when they're like five-ish **(it made me squee so bad! XD)**, and the other one is Ash and Gary standing staring at Pikachu and Eevee, who are snuggling together sleeping and I'm reasonably sure it's the morning after a night of hot steamy-ness, LOL, cos Gary is only wearing pyjama bottoms and Ash is snuggling against him wearing the pyjama top to Gary's bottoms (and nothing else, I am assuming 8D). And actually, upon further inspection I think it may actually be Red rather than Ash, but whatever, it's Ash now, LOL :D

Oh, erm...I don't know Gary's history, if it exists, sooo...I'm making up everything to do with his parents and also references to Ash's dad is made up by me too :) Also, er...while I was writing this, I have come to the conclusion that I fail epically at writing children O.O I just...bleh XD Can't de-evolve my brain to five year old level. I can't remember what it was like to not use big words let alone not pronounce them right. So...if some parts sound unrealistic for five year olds, they probably are :D

Something else is that, GOOD LORDY THEY CAN'T FRIKKIN STAY TEN YEARS OLD FOREVER! Through Kanto, Johto, Hoenn _and_ Sinnoh (though I haven't bothered with that season, I hate Dawn 8D), they all seem to be _ten_ and trying to calculate the passing of time is a nightmare! x.x Arrrggg! So time goes faster than it actually does in the anime. I'm sorry but its ridiculous how things seem to take so long and yet it's no time at all for them. Phew!

Enjoy, then...I guess :D

Also, thanks to my friend **21stCenturyStalin** for helping me remember the word was "inevitable." XD

**Disclaimer:** I do not own either of the fanarts I described above – I found them on google images when I was bored and loved them so much. If you are the artist, _dayum_ I love you for drawing them XD And, uh...hope you don't hate on me for drawing inspiration from them? :)

_-Palletshipping-_

It had been Ash that initiated the first move.

They were five and in Gary's room. The brunette boy, hair spikey even from this young age, had a room filled to the brim with playthings of all shapes and sizes, but even so if it weren't for Ash being there, he would have been bored out of his mind by himself. The room was like a mini playground and upon being asked to go to it as per the usual (Ash had been placed in Professor Oak's care while his mum had gone shopping – she was so hectic sometimes that she forgot he was with her and so, playing on the safe side, decided to start leaving her precious son with a most trusted friend, this being the fourth week leaving him in his care), the energetic hazel-eyed youth had nodded vigorously and tore Gary away from their caregiver, dislocating the slightly taller boy's arm in the process.

At the moment, Gary was lying upside down on his bed, watching with almost-interest as Ash ran around the room touching everything his curious eyes fell on. Ash raced from corner to corner, picking up a toy pokeball and throwing it, pretending to call forth one of the three starter pokemon that he would have to choose between in five years time. For the most part, he was too overwhelmed by the choice of toys to remember Gary was there – children's minds were one-tracked, after all – but Gary wasn't all that upset by it. With both of his parents' careers taking them around the world studying pokemon and with only his elderly grandfather for company, Gary did occasionally feel alone. His parents sent things from many different places back to Pallet Town to try and make up for their absence and although Gary understood that they needed to work, he still couldn't help but think that a visit every now and then wouldn't be too much trouble, would it?

"Hey Gary! Gary, come play on this with me!"

The little brunette was snapped out of his depressingly mature thoughts and was brought back to the present, staring at Ash who was struggling to climb up onto the rocking Mareep his parents had sent to him from the Johto region. It was quite a bit taller than him and Gary took a few amused seconds just watching the shorter boy try and heave himself onto the Mareep before he realised his little fists were steadily ripping the wool out.

"Hey! Watch it, I got that from Mum an' Dad, don't wreck it!" Gary leaped off his bed and was at Ash's side before he knew it. Ash had shrivelled noticeably. He picked absent-mindedly at his brown overalls, his face downcast in a way that made Gary feel bad for yelling at him.

"I'm sorry, Gary. I jus' wanted to play on this with ya." Ash had to lift his head to look the taller boy in his emerald eyes, but when he did the spikey brunette thought he saw tears start to build up behind the dark-haired boy's hazel eyes. Sighing, Gary scratched his cheek distractedly and looked away, saying, "No, it's alright, I guess. 'M sorry for yellin'. Gramps always says not to yell, but sometimes I forget." He hesitantly looked back at Ash and he was surprised to see a radiant smile had torn through his brief moment of depression and his eyes had lit up like an Ampharos's tail, jumping again with a liveliness that Gary couldn't fathom was possible.

"Ok then!" Ash yipped excitedly, beginning to tug on Gary's blue sweater in an attempt to haul him up onto the Mareep. Gary was knocked into the sheep pokemon harshly and he lost his breath momentarily before forcing the human ball of energy to calm down. "Wait, for pete's sake! Jeez, just let me..." He leaned down and cupped his hands together to motion to Ash to stand on them so that he could get up onto the toy. The enthusiastic boy was suddenly overcome with a sense of embarassment and as his cheeks flushed deep red he folded his arms stubbornly and said boldly, "I can get up on my own! I don't need your help for _this._"

"What are you talkin' about? You're too _short_ to get up on your own." Gary watched as Ash stiffened and his face flared even worse. "I'm _not_ short! Mum says this is a normal size for a five year old! You're just tall!"

"Arrrgg, will you just – get – _up_ – there!"

Without asking for permission, having grown tired of Ash's weirdness, Gary forced his foot into his cupped hands and heaved the smaller boy up and over the soft wool of the rocking Mareep. He heard Ash gasp as he flailed sporadically in his arms, but because he was small Gary could easily hold his weight until Ash had gotten his bearings and pulled himself up to reacquaint with balance on his own. Letting out an annoyed puff of air, he stared _down_ at Gary for the first time since they had met and gave him a pouty frown. He was dusting his hands, though Ash suspected it was mostly just for effect and the brunette smirked up at him cockily, which just made Ash stick his tongue out at him.

"Jerk."

"Shorty. Now move over, I'm comin' up."

Ash reluctantly shifted backwards to make room for Gary. He could hardly complain; after all, it had been _him_ to invite Gary to play and they _were_ his toys, so... Ash's distasteful expression grew deeper as he watched Gary easily swing himself onto the Mareep as if it were his own height and he looked away with anger at not being able to do it on his own. Instead of thanking Gary, like his mum had always told him to when people helped him, he stroked the wool of the Mareep, surprised at how soft it was. Overcome with curiosity, he turned back to Gary, who was watching a corner of the wall, his mind having wandered again.

"Hey...Gary?"

"Huh?" Gary's mind jerked itself back to the boy in front of him – he had climbed up so that he was able to face Ash rather than have his back to him, because his grandfather had told him that that was rude. "Yeah, what?"

"Hm. You daydream a lot."

"So what? I'm allowed to think, ain't I?"

"I guess. What were you thinkin' about?"

"None of your Beedrill's wax. What did you want?"

"...Whaddya mean?" Ash's puzzled face almost made Gary want to pull his hair out.

"You wanted to ask me somethin', didn't ya? Ain't that why you called me?"

Realisation flooded back into the shorter boy's face and he lit up again from the inside. "Oh right! I was goin' to ask, I haven't ever seen this pokemon around here before. What's it called? This." For emphasis, he petted the sheep-like pokemon and swung his legs, making the toy rock as it was meant to.

"It's called a _Mareep._ It's an electric-type pokemon an' you don't see it around here cos it's from the Johto region." As he talked, he watched Ash's eyes widen in wonder with each word that came out of his mouth.

"Wow! How do you know all of that?"

"My Gramps _is_ a famous pokemon per- ...per- _perfesser_, you know. An' Mum an' Dad are pokemon researchers too an' they travel all over the world studying pokemon! Someday, I'm gonna be a great pokemon researcher too an' go with Mum an' Dad!"

"You wanna do all that? I jus' wanna be the world's greatest pokemon trainer!"

"Pfft, like that'll happen!" Gary retorted, laughing as Ash almost lost his balance and fell of the Mareep.

"I will! I'll beat everyone out there an' show you!" His defiant expression just made Gary want to laugh harder, but he also saw the determination in his hazel eyes and he toned his laughter to quiet chortling.

"Hey Gary, where're your Mum an' Dad now?"

The question caught him off guard and almost had _him_ falling off the Mareep. "Wh-What? Why'd you ask that?" Ash shrugged and looked down at the wool he had begun twirling in his fingers. "I dunno. I jus' thought, I've never seen your Mum and Dad before. You're always with perfesser Oak, an' you always talk about them. Why d'you never see them?"

Ash saw a sort of shadow pass over Gary's face and Gary lowered his head, slumping slightly. "Mum an' Dad are out workin'. There're a lot of pokemon out there, an' they have to study them all. That's what Gramps says. They have to work an' find out more about everythin'. That's why..." He gave himself a huge shock when he realised his eyes had gotten wet and his body had begun to shake. Wiping them angrily, he straightened suddenly, meeting the sympathetic eyes of the smaller boy in front of him, who had a look on his face that was partly sad for him and partly thoughtful.

"I know whatya mean. Dad is always gone away, an' it makes Mum real sad sometimes. He's a pokemon trainer too and goes travellin' for ages. When it gets real bad, she cries an' I don't know what to do." Here, he looked a bit hesitant and Gary felt almost compelled to ask what he wanted to say. Fortunatly, Ash had decided himself to keep going with his thoughts. "But, when Dad comes home, he knows how to make Mum happier. He does this thing as soon as he comes through the door and it makes Mum smile lots after he's been away for _really_ long times."

His curiosity finally piqued, Gary questioned, "Well, what does he do then?"

Ash fidgeted with the Mareep's wool even more and his face got slightly redder. "D'you want me to show ya? It might make ya feel better too." Gary almost jumped at the chance to feel better; he hated crying, especially in front of other people and he didn't like feeling this way anyway. He managed to act normal and calmly answered his bubblier companion.

"Sure. Show me."

"Alright then. Close your eyes."

Unquestioningly, Gary's green eyes shut and he waited for... Well, he didn't know yet. He felt Ash move around uncomfortably for a moment, clear his throat a few times and yelp as his fidgeting almost sent him of the Mareep again, but he obediantly kept his eyes closed and waited for the thing that would make him feel better about his parents always being away.

"Are ya gonna do somethin' soon?" He asked the air in Ash's general direction, fighting the urge to sneak a peek.

"'M getting' there! Jus' hold on." Ash's voice sounded a bit closer to his face than it had been before, but Gary didn't move away, keeping himself still and quiet, the opposite to Ash's restless noise. Finally, he felt something gently touch his cheek. A warm palm – Ash's palm, he realised – journeyed its way across his right cheek until he had stroked his entire jaw and he felt that little bit of contact had already made him feel slightly better. But he didn't feel like smiling lots like Ash had said his dad made his mum smile. So he waited a bit longer before he heard Ash take a deep breath – to steady himself? – and sensed him leaning forward slowly.

When their innocent lips met suddenly, his eyes flew open, but he wasn't able to break away from the kiss, he was too startled. Oddly, however, this _did_ make him feel lots better than having his cheek caressed and hesitantly, he pushed back awkwardly, not knowing how to respond to the surprise kiss. Ash's eyes were also closed and his face, although a bright blushing red, was calm and gave Gary the idea that he had seen this many times before and knew what to do.

Kinda.

When they pulled away, their faces glowed with slight embarassment and a weird sort of fuzzy feeling in their stomaches. Ash rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and peered up at Gary shyly. "So, uh... D'you feel better now?" Now it was Gary's turn to paw at the Mareep's wool and though his face was cast downward, he also had a slight smile on his face as his whole body buzzed with unexplained happiness.

"Yeah, I feel loads better!" He answered excitedly, shuffling closer to Ash suddenly, "That really works, your Dad is so cool! Thanks Ash!" Without knowing exactly why, he lunged forward unexpectedly and kissed Ash again and they toppled off the rocking Mareep, landing with a _thump_ on the ground.

Neither of them cared though, because it made them both laugh and after that, when either of them was feeling sad or upset, it wasn't odd for them to kiss to make the other feel better. In fact, it felt almost natural.

_-Palletshipping-_

When they were eight, they had a falling out. Ash didn't understand it; all of a sudden Gary didn't want to see him anymore. He still had to go over to Gary's when his mum went shopping every week, but he wasn't invited to his room anymore and instead had to spend the day with Professor Oak, who didn't do much except cook tofu and write poetry if he wasn't out studying the pokemon. He tried to tell his mum about it, but she told him to leave him alone: "Gary is going through a difficult time right now Ash and you have to leave him alone if he doesn't want to talk to you for a bit." Then she brushed her red-brown hair out of her face and pulled him into a tight hug; she knew her son was hurt by Gary's sudden avoidance of him. "Don't worry though honey, he'll come out of it, and when he does, be the best friend you can be, alright?"

He hadn't known what else to do, so Ash had just nodded and left Gary alone when he was meant to stay with them. But it had been two weeks now since he had seen Gary and the only thing he could think of was that if Gary was going through something sad, then he just needed a kiss to cheer him up. It had always worked before, so why wouldn't it now? But when Ash had tried to see Gary that week, he was met with a vicious rebuff.

"Go away, you loser! I don't want to see you! Just leave me alone!"

"Wh-What?" Ash was so taken by surprise at such harshness he ran straight to the bathroom and wouldn't come out until his mum had come to pick him up. Then he practically flew into her arms, shouted up the stairs that "I hate you, you're such a jerk, Gary!" with a flood of tears in his eyes and was taken home by a flustered Delia, apologising for her son's behaviour before they left, to which Professor Oak also had to apologise for Gary's terrible words.

"It's just so hard for him right now Delia. I don't know how he's going to get over it, he's so young..." Delia gave her old friend a comforting pat on the shoulder and a gentle, understanding smile.

"Gary will be ok, he just needs to work his mind around this on his own for now. You know how he is. He likes to be by himself most of the time if he wants to think."

_Yeah, but usually he lets me stay when he wants to think,_ Ash thought bitterly, burying his face in his mum's shirt as his tears started to build up again. "I wanna go home. I don't wanna be here anymore."

"Oh Ash," She sighed deeply, cradling him as if he were three again and feeling bad about liking the fact that her baby needed her again, "I'm sorry Sam, but we have to go now. Hopefully by next week this will have blown over. I'm so sorry about your loss. Our hearts are with you."

"Thank you Delia." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck roughly, "I just hope he does come out of this ok. He worries me with how anti-social he is sometimes. Ash is his only real friend..." They said goodbye again and Ash was left to his thoughts. He was too occupied with hating Gary viciously to have heard the part about them apparently having 'lost' something. He just wanted his old friend back...

That night was swelteringly hot and Ash kept kicking off his covers and then slipping them back on continuously in a never-ending cycle of discomfort. It didn't help that he was also having bad dreams that had him tossing in his bed. He was dreaming that Gary wouldn't ever be his friend again, but wouldn't tell him why and then he became a famous pokemon researcher and left Ash on his own, never coming back. Just the thought made him want to cry again, but he couldn't forget those mean words that Gary had thrown at him through the door.

"_Go away, you loser!"_

He woke suddenly, his heart pounding in his chest, the tears that he had been crying in his sleep dripping onto his pillow from his red-rimmed eyes. The window was open to try and relieve some of the heat that was suffocating him and the slight breeze that drifted gently over him did help somewhat, although he did wonder when he had opened the window in the first place. But the nightmare had gotten him in a cold sweat and he dragged the covers over him once more, shivering. Wiping his teary eyes again, Ash prepared to get himself back to sleep but froze when he noticed a dark shape lying next to him, breathing shakily. He hadn't realised until now because of his drowsiness and he began sucking in breath to scream for his mum.

That was when he also realised that there was light sobbing coming from the shapeless mound and he choked back his scream to wait for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Slowly, the shape gained a recognisable form.

A body that was slightly taller and bigger than his own... A face twisted in sorrow and swamped in tears... And most recognisably, a mass of spikey brown hair framing that face, where he knew two emerald eyes would be if he were able to see them. Ash's face went red for a moment at the sudden close proximity he wasn't expecting first thing after a nightmare, but he started when, in the dim light, he saw a tear leak out of Gary's eyes.

"G-Gary? What are you..." All of a suddenly, Gary began shaking even worse and his sobs started rising in volume. "H-Hey, what's wrong? Gary?" Ash hesitantly sat up, slowly reaching down to touch his friend's shoulder, thoughts of that afternoon gone from his mind when he saw the state the brunette had gotten himself into. As soon as his hand met his shoulder, Gary opened his eyes, which led to his salty tears splattering out over Ash's pillow, and turned his head to meet his eyes.

"Gary...Gary..." Ash's throat had closed up and he didn't think twice about throwing himself over the taller boy as if he were a protective shell shielding him from all the sadness in the world, hugging him and showering him with kisses to his lips, cheeks, neck, forehead; wherever he could reach. "Hey, it's alright...Gary, it's ok...I'm here. It's ok." Wearily, Gary's own arms came up to encircle his friend in a weak embrace but found he couldn't stop himself crying.

"A-A-Ash...I'm so so-rry for being s-such a j-jerk today..." The ebony-haired boy's heart lurched painfully at the raw scratchy noise that had replaced the usually smooth, warm voice he was used to hearing. "I d-didn't mean to be so m-m-mean!" More tears sprang into Ash's eyes, but he roughly pushed them away and hugged Gary tighter.

"I-It's ok. I forgive you. What happened, Gary? Why did you...?"

"My p-parents...Ash, they...they're..." His shaking increased and his words became harder to understand, his expression vulnerable and innocent and hurting. Ash's grip on him tightened, pulling him closer, waiting for the end of his sentence. "They're dead, Ash! Mum and Dad... They were studying a Steelix... It got m-mad... And they got c-caught in it's Rock Slide... They were c-crushed... I didn't know who else to come to... And I was feeling really bad about today... S-S-So..."

He couldn't talk anymore. All he could do was cry and cling as close as possible to Ash, burying his face into the crook of his shoulder where Ash could feel the tears dripping down his shirt. And the only thing Ash could do was hold Gary as he sobbed, continuing his hushing kisses and comforting rubbing along his arms, sides and legs.

_-Palletshipping-_

When Delia came in the next morning to wake Ash up, she found the brunette curled around her son as if he were his only lifeline to this earth and Ash had his fingers tangled in Gary's hair, caught in the act of running them soothingly through the chocolate spikes. Gary's arm was draped over the smaller boy's hip, unconsciously pulling him closer in his fitful sleep. Their legs were also entangled together and her little boy's face was so close to the other's she imagined he had fallen asleep just as he was about to connect their lips in a soft, sweet kiss reminiscent of how lovers would kiss.

With her hand over her mouth, she silently closed the door and allowed them to sleep for a while longer in each others arms, hurrying to call Professor Oak to assure him that Gary was fine and had spent the night with Ash.

_-Palletshipping-_

A few weeks after their tenth birthday, Ash and Gary were ready to start their careers as Pokemon Trainers. Ash had gained a notorious reputation for over-sleeping far longer than he should, so Gary wasn't surprised when, on the day they were supposed to be getting their starter pokemon, Ash still hadn't shown up and he watched with an anxious face as the last pokeball was taken from his grandfather's possession, leaving Ash without a pokemon.

"Hey gramps, could you maybe...save one for Ash?" He tried, just once though he had a sinking feeling that he already knew the answer.

"Sorry Gary!" Professor Oak burst out cheerily, oblivious to Gary's anxiety, continuing with whatever he was doing, "The early bird gets the worm, grandson; you know that. I know Ash is a dear friend of yours, but even he cannot be exempt from this!" Letting out a sigh, the green-eyed boy thought to himself quietly, toying with his new pokeball absent-mindedly. Surely there was some other way for Ash to have a pokemon...

"Gramps, is there any other pokemon left, then? There aren't any more of the normal starter pokemon, but shouldn't there be _something_ else in the lab somewhere?"

He heard his grandfather take up a contemplative silence, one he knew well and he secretly crossed his fingers, hoping for a good outcome. "Well, there is one...but it's not a particularly good starter pokemon. It's quite a handful, I'm not sure Ash could handle it right off the bat."

At this, Gary puffed out his chest indignantly.

"Ash can totally handle whatever that pokemon can dish out! I've seen him with the pokemon in the lab and he's great with them! Give them a day together and I'll bet he and that pokemon will be best friends!"

Professor Oak turned to look him in the eye and his grandson stared determinedly back, daring him to contradict him. Giving him a wise smile, the pokemon professor simply nodded and hummed to himself thoughtfully. "You may be right about that, Gary." Gary's beaming smile was half-formed when his grandfather held up a hand to silence whatever words of gratitude was about to spill from his lips, "But, even you can't talk away his irresponsible behaviour concerning this most important day of a young person's life. I get to gauge exactly how serious he is about becoming a pokemon trainer. If he backs out when I tell him there are no more pokemon for him, I won't offer him the pokemon I still have left and he'll have to wait.

The brunette stiffened his shoulders and stood up straight, almost glaring his grandfather in the eye, "He won't back down. I know him; he'll insist that you have another pokemon for him so he can start his journey to becoming the world's greatest pokemon trainer."

"I know he will. Still, I would feel better if I knew myself that he won't give up."

Sighing inaudibly to himself, Gary then slumped slightly, thinking, _Ash, you owe be big time!_ "Thanks gramps, you're the best." He was waved off with a smile and a cheerful yet proud-sounding "Good luck!" as he rushed out the door, fighting the urge to run all the way to Ash's house and drag him out of bed.

"The big idiot...why would you sleep in on today of all days?" Gary muttered to himself exasperatedly, his eyes trained on the ground below him as he continued to play with the pokeball, deftly spinning it on one finger. He wasn't watching what was happening around him when he found himself on the ground in a painful heap, something having slammed into him at a fast pace so suddenly it hadn't registered until a pain started blooming at the base of his skull.

"Ow! Watch where you're going, loser!"

"Hey! Who you callin' a loser, you- Gary?"

Slowly, his blurry vision came into focus and the blob of moving colours of black and green settled into the form of his childhood friend, still clad in his green pyjamas from having torn himself out of bed and heading straight for Professor Oak's lab as soon as he'd realised he was terribly late. He'd run straight into him, toppling them both over and landing all of his weight onto the brunette. Currently, Ash was still on top of Gary, a pout on his face at being called a loser and a dash of red scattered about his cheeks at their position.

Gary was a bit confused to find he didn't really mind it much, but instead of pondering on pointless things he accepted Ash's offered hand once he had gotten up and pulled himself up, dusting the road off of his clothes after picking up his pokeball. "And where have you been, Ashy-boy?" He jabbed, using Ash's derogatory nickname that he used whenever he was annoyed with the other or just wanted to annoy him. He'd found that over the years he liked teasing the smaller boy as he was so easy to ruffle.

True to his nature, Ash instantly flared defensively. "Oh shut up Gary. I overslept, ok? I accidentally broke my alarm in my sleep so it didn't go off."

Raising an eyebrow curiously, Gary replied, "How did you manage to break your alarm clock in your sleep?"

Ash dropped his gaze, embarrassed. "I...well, I...was dreaming and...thought it was a pokeball, so...I ended up throwing it at the wall..." His flush only grew more when Gary laughed openly at him, reaching down to run his fingers through his hair affectionately, to which Ash irritatedly shoved him away. Gary only chuckled again and reacquainted his lips with Ash's. Their little habit of kissing each other when they were upset had followed them from their younger years and in actuality, it had grown to the point that whenever they saw each other, they kissed in greeting and sometimes just because they felt like it. By silent agreement, they did it only when people weren't watching, but it felt so natural and normal to them, so for this reason, Ash let Gary do what he wished and kissed back.

When they broke apart, Gary's finger tilting Ash's face upward, Gary murmured, "Better go get your new pokemon, Mr World's Greatest Pokemon Trainer." He smirked, mocking him in a playful way and flicked his nose gently. "Good luck." He watched Ash's face brighten at the thought of getting his very own pokemon and he answered his good wishes with a soft peck on the cheek, returning them excitedly.

And then he was off, on his way to Professor Oak's lab and an unexpected test upon finding no more of the normal starter pokemon available to him. Gary wasn't worried there. He knew he would pass and get whatever that last pokemon was and become truly great friends with it. He stopped on the outskirts of Pallet Town, dreaming of the future and what it had in store of him. But at the same time, his heart was pulling him backwards, towards the lab, back to the past, where he and Ash could still be together without worries. They had agreed that they had wanted to pursue different careers – they had known this since they were five, that they differed here – and though they were both eager to begin their training and start their new lives, they were no less saddened about their dreams splitting them up into different paths than if they were told someone they cared about had died.

They'd said goodbye already and Gary hadn't counted on running into Ash again before getting out of town, but it had happened and he found that he was happy that fate had given him one last meeting with Ash before having to move forward. Taking a deep breath, he took his first step out of town and on to a bright future, thinking of Ash and how he knew, somehow, that he would be in it. Maybe not in the near future, but Gary was certain they would come back to each other eventually.

They always did.

_-Palletshipping-_

Gary was never far from Ash's mind, even if sometimes his mind's one focus was becoming Number One. When he was with Misty and Brock, he covered it up with strong tones of rivalry that they accepted readily. After all, they figured it was only normal to be jealous of someone who was so set to become the next greatest pokemon trainer and Ash would have been worried if he hadn't known what Gary truly wanted to be. Sometimes it astounded him how in tune their thoughts were, as whenever he came across Gary on his journeys he acted like an incredible jerk that Ash had trouble believing was _his_ Gary.

It's not that they were ashamed of what they shared. It's just that, after a while in other friends' company (yes, they had managed to make more friends in town apart from each other,, though that was mostly due to Ash's natural cheeriness), they quickly realised what they had was different from everyone else's 'normal' friendships and only showed their true affections when they were alone.

Still, being so long without Gary's touch _somewhere_ on him felt weird and cold. He felt empty of a sort, like he'd lost half himself and not even Pikachu, his best non-human friend, could fill it. However after months and months training, eating, _being_ together, Pikachu and Ash were as intertwined as he and Gary were, though in different ways, and the little yellow pokemon could usually tell what it's trainer was feeling.

It was one of those nights where Ash just couldn't get to sleep, his head so crowded with thoughts of Gary as it was. He tossed noisily in his sleeping bag, only vaguely surprised that Misty didn't wake up to hit him over the head with some baseball bat conjured out of nowhere, telling him to shut up and stop fidgeting so she could get her beauty sleep. Ash huffed at the likely outcome and turned over again, careful to avoid squashing Pikachu, who was equally as restless due to Ash.

"Sorry buddy," He whispered affectionately, petting the pokemon's head as it also tried to get to sleep. "I just can't stop thinking about Gary. It's been so long...I wonder what he's doing. After all this time, do you think he's closer to becoming a pokemon researcher?" Pikachu was the only one he had told about Gary. Being his best friend when Gary wasn't around playing the jerk had been one of the reasons why he had, but also not being able to speak any human language had been equally reassuring in his confidence in his pokemon.

It answered in it's usual chipper voice, only slightly marred by tiredness, and it's eyes slowly began to drop closed as the familiar action soothed it from Ash's own turmoil; if he couldn't get any sleep it wasn't fair that Pikachu also had to lose sleep with him. Tucking his other hand behind his head, he stared up into the sky, seeing stars through the tree branches that sheltered them for the night, still restless and also aching for a familiar hand to twist through his coal-coloured hair.

Not including the random encounters in which Gary was acting like they weren't friends, Ash hadn't seen _his_ Gary in just over four years. Slipping further into his sleeping bag until his nose was under, Ash felt his stomach twisting into knots as he continued to think about his...friend? Except they didn't really feel like friends, even in the beginning. Friends was too weak a word to describe how Ash felt with Gary. Frowning and rubbing his eyes frustratedly he rolled over once again, shooing those weird thoughts, far too complex for a fourteen year old boy to disect on his own, away and drifting into a fitful doze, falling into dreams where the chocolate-haired boy's sharp emerald gaze haunted him even in his sleep.

_-Palletshipping-_

Another three years later and the russet-haired stranger beneath Gary gave a shuddering lurch before spilling himself over the sheets with the encouragement of his partner's warm hand on his member. His body struggled to recover as Gary kept thrusting within him, reaching completion himself and then promptly collapsing, narrowly avoiding landing on the smaller youth. There were no callings of names or mindless chanting or clinging to each other, because they didn't quite know each other that well.

At seventeen, Gary's hormones were raging and the moments when they raged the most were when he was thinking about Ash, the childhood friend he'd separated with to follow his dream. Yes, he saw him every now and again, but never long enough or privately enough so that they could just be _themselves_ together. All he wanted to do was kiss the dense, enthusiastic boy until their lips hurt and he couldn't even peck him on the cheek with those friends of his there all the time! Gary had last seen Ash maybe half a year ago but the dark-haired boy was really still the same as he always was, save for their little act of pretending to hate each other.

When he thought about how their relationship had changed with the length of their separation, it drove him crazy with a need to just run to him, no matter which region he was in, that he'd had trouble understanding before. Of course, the answer was clear to him now; he'd fallen in love with his best friend and he wasn't going to lie to himself about it. And it was hardly surprising, considering all they'd gotten each other through in their childhood. Gary even suspected that it had started with that first comforting kiss Ash had given him when they were five. Whenever it started, it had only snowballed into something bigger and stronger than friendship and sometimes, when his own hand wasn't enough, he would go prowling for men, women, anyone really – he was good-looking enough to get anyone and he didn't really care anyway, as long as they were clean and had somewhere to put his dick. If it wasn't Ash, then it didn't matter what they looked like or who they were. They weren't important enough details for him to care about.

This one, however, he'd found training his Pikachu in the woods near the town where he had stopped. The boy was shorter than him and perhaps a tiny bit younger, but the way he handled his pokemon reminded him of a certain someone and unfortunately for the boy, that night was one of Gary's 'raging hormones' nights. He wasted no time in literally charming the pants off of his new prey and before he knew it they were doing it in a cheap hotel, rented for just the one night, as he didn't expect it to last much longer than his much-needed release from the pressure broiling in his lower stomach.

He hardly remembered the kid's name – _Reggie? Ricky? Actually, I think it was Richie..._ He thought to himself, though satiated enough not to care – but Gary had felt something so familiar in him that he couldn't help but think that maybe this time would feel different and he could get over Ash, who he was sure was too set on his goal of becoming the Pokemon Master to notice his feelings, much less take the time to feel the same way. It was a stupid idea to start with, since the familiar feeling was Reggie/Ricky/Richie reminding him of Ash in the first place (he had a Pikachu almost exactly like Ash's, for crying out loud!) and he was pretty damn sure he was incurably hooked on the hazel-eyed trainer, so why did he even bother?

After a time in which they steadily got their breathing back to normal, the awkward silence set in and Richie – he was pretty sure it was Richie, now – began to fidget next to him, the pressure to say something egging at his brain. "Um..." Richie started, but ended up holding his tongue again. His hair was a great red-brown mess and his dark brown eyes reflected disbelief at his actions as well as a hazy confusion as to what had just happened. His cheeks were also stained a slight pinkish colour at the sight of Gary and the latter smirked inwardly at the irony of the fact that he could get pretty much anyone into bed and yet not the person who he really truly wanted.

"You don't have to say anything. You can just go if you want." He said to the poor boy comfortingly. He may just use people to get himself off and he may have picked Richie only because he acted and even looked a little like the person he actually wanted, but he wasn't unkind to any of them afterwards. It seemed unfair to come onto the other so charmingly enough to sleep with him right then and there, but being cruel to them after he'd finished was just too harsh for Gary to go through with.

Richie looked up at him from where he had swung his legs over the side of the bed, staring at Gary as he also began shuffling to retrieve his clothes and other various garments scattered about the dingy hotel floor. They dressed in more silence, though Gary could tell there was something on the other's mind. The Ash look-alike finished first, pulling over his green shirt and fumbling around for his hat before grabbing his backpack and reaching for the door.

He paused, his hand placed on the handle, and he stared again at Gary with a thoughtful expression. The taller of the two continued with zipping up his trousers and waited for him to either leave or tell him what was on his mind. And then:

"He misses you too, you know. Ash."

Gary's head shot up so suddenly to stare Richie in the face he swore it almost split itself from the rest of his body. His mouth gaped open so wide it could have caught a Venomoth and his heart immediately threw itself into his throat, almost preventing him from breathing properly. Certainly it stopped itself beating for more than a few seconds, he was sure, before he forced himself to get a grip and swallow his heart back down to where it was supposed to be. Slowly, he assessed the boy again, trying to remember if he'd seen him somewhere in Pallet Town. It was a small town though; everyone knew each other. How could he have known about Ash and him?

"W-What?" was the only thing he was able to get out without his voice cracking shocked highs that would have probably embarrassed him had it not been for what was being said.

"I said Ash misses you too. You...called his name, just before you...you know..." Richie scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, the stain becoming more apparent on his cheeks as he tenderly rubbed his aching backside. Gary was pale-faced. Had he really called Ash's name unconsciously? "Anyways, I've met him. We're also friends. He...spoke about you a lot, when we talked. Always had a lot of nice things to say...as well as some things that he didn't particularly appreciate. But when I asked him if you knew what you were doing and how you were, he went silent. Said he hadn't seen you since you'd left your hometown. Then he got all down and depressed. I figured he misses you too. A lot."

Having said his piece, he started fidgeting at the door again, waiting for Gary to say something. He wasn't paying any attention. Richie could have ripped the door off it's hinges and hit him with it and he still wouldn't have noticed in the face of knowing something as precious to him as this. He supposed he should feel guilty for it, but Ash missing him was a good feeling. It said that Ash still cared and the fact that he said he hadn't seen him since they'd left Pallet Town together meant that he understood that the real him was still there somewhere, but hidden from other people, only meant for Ash to see. It's just that there hadn't been any opportunity for them to see each other anytime throughout the years of their journeys. It was then he remembered Richie and forced himself out of his thoughts.

"U-Uh...thank you." He swallowed loudly, his voice thick with supressed emotion, "I...I appreciate you telling me this. Thanks." Richie smiled at him shyly and Gary almost felt sorry for doing something like this to the boy: taking him to bed only to find out that the person he really wanted was someone else he knew and was friends with. And then Richie was gone, taking with him the last traces of Ash he'd seen in a long time and the strength suddenly drained from his body, retreating to make way for weakness and exhaustion.

He needed to see Ash, and he needed it _now._ He hated that they couldn't be together as often as they should (or at least, how often he _felt_ they should) and Gary couldn't help but feel as though they were going against some weird power by not being together. If it felt so natural and right for them, then why did they continue to dance around each other simply because others wouldn't find it normal?

Gritting his teeth, he pulled on his shirt roughly and snatched his shoes aggressively from the floor, jamming them on his feet with the force of his determination. He was going to find Ash, no matter where he was – he would go traipsing all over the damn world if he had to – and they were going to have a nice, long 'talk' about things...by which he meant he was going to find out how Ash felt about him and then, if the feelings were mutual, he was going to give him the night of his life.

_-Palletshipping-_

The seventeen year old Ash Ketchum was finally home. As Pallet Town came into view, Pikachu let out an excited "Pika!" and the two partners broke out into a run, racing each other into town and down the neat roads of his childhood days. Both pokemon and human couldn't help but break out into laughter as they ran, zipping quickly around corners while narrowly avoiding crashing into other people. Ash flew past a woman walking home with a bag of groceries, almost hitting her but managing to evade collision, shouting, "Sorry Mrs Dames!" behind him hurriedly. He faintly heard, "Was that _our_ Ash Ketchum?" before turning another corner, hot on Pikachu's heels.

Finally, he came to a stop in front of the familiar sight of his cottage-like house with it's green front garden, Mr Mime sweeping the dirt from the path. His mother's vegetable patch was thriving beautifully this year, he noticed, but he couldn't see her anywhere outside like she usually was on a bright, sunny day like this. Ash opened the gate and let himself in, greeting Mr Mime as he walked by.

"Hey Mr Mime. Is Mum inside?" He said, smiling at the jolly pokemon. It gave an excited response and pointed up to the house. Eagerly, he jumped up the steps and swung the door open, calling out to Delia.

"Hey Muuuuuuum! Mum, I'm home! I've got so much to tell you! Mum, where are you?" He walked into the kitchen, but still didn't find her anywhere. Perplexed, he looked down at Pikachu, who had the same expression on it's face. "Where d'you think she is, buddy?" It gave a sad chirp, jumping up onto his shoulders and in the process spotting a brightly coloured note next to the phone. Grabbing it's trainer and friend's attention by nuzzling against his face, the pokemon pointed out it's discovery and waited patiently as Ash curiously picked up the note and saw it was addressed to him from his mother.

_Hi Ash! Sorry I'm not there at the moment. I did get your message that you were meant to be coming back home today, but I checked the cupboards and was shocked by how slack I had gotten while you were gone! There was practically nothing in the house, so I had to make a quick stop to the shops to pick up some more groceries._

Ash paused in his reading to open one of the cupboards nearest to him. As he had suspected, it was almost full with plenty of food that could have kept them going while he was staying. Shaking his head fondly, he continued reading:

_I know how much you used to eat so whatever was in the cupboard wouldn't possibly satisfy you now! After all, you _are_ seventeen now. Oh, my baby, seventeen years old..._

There were a few faint teardrops, which Ash had to sigh and smile at. His mother was so dramatic about things.

_Anyway, this was just telling you that I won't be back until around six and to just relax until then. Don't bother coming to find me because I'll be running all over the place looking for one thing or another. You know me! Remember to put your underwear and clothes in the laundry! I'll wash them when I get home._

_I love you,_

_Mum._

"Awww, Mum!" He exclaimed, screwing up the note so that no one else could see it. However, he walked over to where he had tossed his backpack and begrudgingly dumped all of his clothes in the wash as his mother had asked. Absent-mindedly, he looked up to where the clock was and saw it was only three in the afternoon. He and Pikachu had another three hours to wait before they would see Ash's mum again.

"Hey Pikachu, you wanna go see Professor Oak? We haven't seen him in ages! And we can see everyone again!" Pikachu's sparked in excited enthusiasm and they headed out the door once again, bidding farewell to Mr Mime on their way out and down the road that would lead them to their old friends at the Professor's.

As they trekked leisurely towards lab, Ash finally had some time to think about other things that he had been neglecting to think about properly since he'd started his journey. Like the reason why his heart was racing at the thought of Gary coincidentally being at the lab the same time as him. His breath went and caught in his throat at the idea as well as a bit of a trip on a rock that hadn't been swept away from the pathway properly. Would Gary be there? And if he was, what would happen? Would they still act like how they usually would? Or how they _naturally_ would?

When he thought of what he wanted to do, Ash's insides thrilled and his face grew hot. He had always avoided these thoughts – or rather, he was so consumed with becoming the best Pokemon Master that he had no room for other thoughts such as these. Because of this, his feelings usually manifested themselves in the form of dreams at night which ranged from nostalgia for his childhood with Gary to, er...less innocent dreams also involving his green-eyed best friend. They weren't unwelcome thoughts; on the contrary, Ash felt they were quite normal considering all that had happened between them. What caught him off guard was how _present_ they always were and how strongly they affected him when his guard was low. He'd never felt this way about anyone before and he had met plenty of people that he could have felt this way about.

He hadn't realised how far he'd been pulled into his thoughts when Pikachu called to him when the lab came into sight. Momentarily distracted by the idea of seeing all his pokemon again, he laughed and ran forward, Pikachu leaping off his shoulder to land a good few feet in front of him, taking the lead once again. By the time they had reached the front door they were both beaming with anticipation as Ash threw the door open with a call of greeting to anyone who could hear.

"Is that Ash I hear?"

A familiar, gravelly-sounding voice sounded out from behind a formidable collection of papers, graphs and books and after a few moments of shuffling and moving around, Professor Oak's head popped out of the studious mess to analyse who had come through the door.

"Why it is! Ash, how have you been doing all this time? Your mother worries terribly about you and you hardly ever call in."

"Hi Professor! I've been doing great, thanks. Mum went out to the shops so I figured I should stop by and say hi to you, Tracey and everyone else." As he explained, Professor Oak bent down to Pikachu and pet it's head.

"And how are you, Pikachu? Ash still treating you well?" He ignored Ash's indignant remarks and smiled when the electric pokemon answered in it's own language with a similar smile on it's face, reassuring him that Ash was indeed still taking care of it. "Wouldn't you like to go and spend some time with all your old friends? They're out in the fields; go on." With a consensual nod from Ash as well as a thumbs up, Pikachu immediately dashed out of the room and dove into the fields where they other pokemon waited, beginning to chatter to them excitedly about one thing or another. Ash watched from the window, his heart lifting at seeing his pokemon's happiness at being with it's friends again.

"It's good to see Pikachu back with the others. It was missing it's friends."

"Yes, I can tell. Say Ash, could you help me with these a minute? All this work sort of piled up on me while I wasn't looking. They're already sorted, they just need to be stacked away."

"Oh, sure thing Professor. Where do they go?"

"In the filing cabinet next to you. Just grab a pile and put it in the same file as the letter. You know, A's in the A's, B's in the B's and so on."

"I'm not dumb Professor, I know what you mean." Moving away from the window, Ash spent the next few minutes placing the paperwork into it's corresponding file, somewhat enjoying the bland feeling after years of non-stop training and battling. They made short work of the large stack of papers and when they were done Ash went back to the window to check on Pikachu. He found the little yellow pokemon running around with what looked like an Eevee, as well as his Bulbasaur and Chikorita. But Pikachu seemed to be playing more with the Eevee than the other two, who also seemed to like frolicking on their own.

"Hey Professor, who's Eevee is Pikachu playing with? It looks really familiar..."

"It should. It's my Eevee."

Ash started at another new yet extremely familiar voice. It was soft and had spoken gently so as not to spook him, with an odd hypnotising quality that hadn't registered in Ash's brain before. Without even having to turn around he knew who it was and all of a sudden his throat tightened and his nerves caused him to tense his body with a shivering that rippled throughout his body. Was that...mere pleasure at hearing Gary's voice?

"Ah, Gary! There you are. I was wondering if you could watch the lab for me while I go and tend to a few Poliwag out by the pond. Tracey's already there. One of the poor little ones are sick. Just a bit of a cold, but still better to be safe than sorry, eh?"

"Sure Gramps, leave it to me here."

"Thanks a lot. Good seeing you again Ash, and Pikachu too! Maybe Gary and I will stop by for dinner sometime soon. Knowing Delia, she probably spent a good deal keeping the cupboards stacked just for you." With a laugh and a swish of his white labcoat, Professor Oak ambled out of the room, leaving a still silence behind him for the two old friends to occupy.

They were completely alone.

Gary was _here_, no one else was, and they were alone.

Ash's heart almost exploded with the suddenness of it all. For seven years, they hadn't had time alone together for even one little intimate touch thanks to one thing or another, and although he had been hoping that Gary was here he hadn't been expecting it. It seemed too good to be true. Rooted to the ground with shock, Ash stiffly shifted himself so that he was facing Gary and nearly collapsed under his tumultuous feelings of seeing him again. _His_ Gary, this time. Instead of his usual infuriating smirk he had worn whenever they had bumped into each other during their journeys there was a small tentative smile reminiscent of their younger days, gentle and caring and everything that Ash remembered.

Hesitantly, Gary approached him in heavy, staggering steps, possibly due to his own shock at seeing Ash so suddenly and so unexpectedly. In actual fact, Gary had been trying to track his childhood friend down for about a week and a half, walking into every town and asking about the dark-haired, boisterous and overly-helpful boy with a Pikachu always out walking about instead of in it's pokeball. But he wasn't about to tell Ash that he had been, in all aspects, stalking him around the world. That could wait.

"Gary...what are you doing here?" That voice that he had been waiting so long to hear wafted over his ears and urged him forward faster, stumbling his way to Ash's side in a dazy state of eagerness.

"I needed...to see you. I didn't know if you were going to be here; I thought you weren't going to be, because you're always all over the place for badges and leagues and such. It was...it was a whim, sort of thing, coming here." He lied steadily when his composure was anything but, though he now found himself standing right in front of Ash, so close he could almost feel the other's body heat radiating off him and he just about lurched into him with the need to be closer. Ash could tell he was lying; Gary was fiddling with the hem of his shirt, which he had found was a reliable indication of his dishonesty. Oddly though, he didn't mind at all. They had always been able to tell little things like that and he felt like smiling with the relief that some things didn't change in the slightest.

The coal-haired boy watched as Gary's hand raised from his side and inched towards his face, so slowly he barely noticed it, his eyes were fixed unwaveringly on the emeralds he had longed to see since forever. When the hand finally made contact Ash started trembling ever-so slightly as it gently cupped his cheek, stroking leisurely along his jaw, sending shockwaves through him and had his stomach leaping with anticipation when Gary tilted his head up just so, trying to remember the last time they had allowed themselves these little touches of intimacy they had always been able to share before. Ash's breathing hitched as Gary moved closer still, also bending down slightly. He had grown much more than Ash had, to his chagrin, but couldn't possibly keep his mind on that fact as he zeroed in on Gary's lips, which he hadn't touched in seven years. The cinnamon scent that was what Gary had always smelled of enveloped and swamped his senses, intoxicating him to the point of dizzying delirium and he lost it.

In that instant, his needy hunger, that had always been itching at the back of his mind, took over and when Gary was mere centimetres apart Ash came forward and gently, tenderly, so _so_ softly made their lips meet once again.

He had been afraid that seven years without this, without Gary, would have had some kind of affect on how their reunion would turn out, but Ash realised, quite quickly, that kissing Gary had long since become second nature and they both found it easy to pick up from where they had left off, their lips perfectly molded to each other, fitting just right in just the right way. They way, he realised, they always had.

And then Gary moved his lips against his and Ash felt a tongue slide it's way along his bottom lip.

This wasn't something they had ever done before. Their kisses were usually only pecks on the lips, lingering maybe for a few seconds before parting, something relatively innocent, but never had they taken it past that point. Ash gasped in surprise and Gary misunderstood, stiffening suddenly and ripping himself away from Ash harshly, if only to stop himself from going any further when he thought Ash didn't want to. Gary was in a state of panic, wondering if that had been too much for their first time after such a long time and was fully ready to start apologising for as long as he had to to ensure that Ash didn't hate him.

"N-No!" Ash's unexpected whimper of protest was followed quickly by a heavy kiss, almost as if he had tripped and landed hard on Gary's lips. Gary's brain went blank when he realised: Ash had made the advance and hadn't been deterred by his too-strong response to their first kiss. This was all the sign he needed before grabbing a fistful of Ash's soft, ebony hair – harder than necessary, he noted when he pulled his head back, exposing the smaller boy's pale neck, and Ash cried out, though whether it was from pain or pleasure he couldn't tell. He felt the boy's heated breath on his face and heard his rapid breathing and could not help himself. He dove onto that delicate mouth and devoured him, fiercely attacking the lips that had evaded him for seven tortuous years, kissing long and hard, taking the years back forcefully from time itself.

Ash struggled to keep up with the intensity of Gary's kisses, trying to reciprocate equally by letting his fingers fly through Gary's soft, cinnamon-scented spikes where he could not kiss back hard enough. When Gary had run his tongue across his bottom lip the sudden spark of pure pleasure that had shot down his back and dragged him back to Gary's lips for that feeling again, making his wishes known by allowing soft murmuring moans to whisper past his lips during the brief times they weren't occupied. His chocolate-haired partner complied with the unspoken demand easily, opening his mouth (and Ash's in the process), grazing their tongues together and sending more delicious shivers down both of their spines.

Neither of them had realised it but throughout all of this Gary had gotten Ash pinned against the wall, each savouring the other's taste, the empty void they had been feeling filling to the brim with love and ecstasy and- _Oh God_, Ash chanted in his head as well as out loud when Gary accidentally rubbed against him, pressing a knee between his legs. Though with the look on Gary's face, he thought maybe it wasn't accidental after all. But Ash didn't bother to question what they were doing, because it didn't matter. This was what felt _right_, and they had both known it was. This was their second nature: belonging to each other, as they had right from the beginning.

"G-Gary...I...we- Aahh..." Ash tried to pant out, but the pressure against his growing need only allowed choked half sentences and he clung to Gary so tightly they were sure it would hurt if they let go. Gary moaned in surprise as Ash's hips suddenly ground up against him of their own accord.

And here was Gary's breaking point.

Without warning, he wrapped his arms around Ash's lower body and flung his legs around his waist, the slim yet strongly muscled legs obediently coiling around him and bringing them ever closer. Gary took them away from the wall and made for the stairs. _Where his room is,_ Ash realised, though this was the only coherrant thought he was able to make before he was occupied by the fulfilling feather-light feeling that came with just being with Gary again. His fingers brushed the back of Gary's neck, just under his hairline and goosebumps instantly formed all over on the green-eyed boy's skin, causing him to trip and collapse while halfway up the stairs. He made sure that Ash had a soft landing and the diagonal position gave Gary the opportunity to attack the perfect, unmarred skin of Ash's neck, kissing and sucking his way down while stripping him of his shirt and then pausing briefly to rid Ash of his black t-shirt underneath, the first articles of clothing in what was forming into a trail of clothes that would eventually lead into Gary's room.

With Ash shirtless, Gary's touches became electricity on his skin. Every caress had him arching his body into Gary, who happily reciprocated by pressing back and lavishing open-mouthed kisses all down his neck and chest, leaving Ash to struggle for breath as his moans increased in pitch. Their awkward position on the stairs, which wasn't really that comfortable from Ash's point of view, restricted their movement and made it harder for them to move against the other. Ash started undoing Gary's belt while at the same time tugging him upwards by his belt loops, trying to get them up the stairs without actually disconnecting them from each other.

The taller of the two chuckled breathily as he realised what Ash was attempting, but his amusement was unappreciated and was met with a small yet sharp nip to his shoulder, which he had to admit didn't feel all that bad. Gary laughed again, the sound Ash had longed to hear somehow hightening his arousal, and pulled them both up to reach the top of the stairs, where he kicked off his shoes. Ash followed suit after he finished unwinding their belts, flinging them carelessly aside to land, draped over the rail of the stairs, and then set to work on Gary's shirt.

They were upright now, their kisses becoming fervently rapid, their touches fire-hot as Gary was slammed into the wall next to his room. Ash had lost his hat somewhere in the mayhem, inevitable considering the amount of times Gary had run his fingers through his black spiked locks, and Gary took full advantage of this now, burying his hands in the soft hair, his long fingers tangling to cause uncontrollable shivers to course their way up and down Ash's body. He responded audibly, crashing their lips together once again, possibly bruising them in the process. They didn't care. They were taking back the kisses they had lost.

Ash's fists tightened on Gary's shirt, near enough ripping it off him in his frustration, and when Gary was finally rid of the aggravating piece of clothing he couldn't help but let his hands roam over the subtly muscled plains of his chest and stomach, dipping into every curve he could reach and sighing at the pleasure it brought him just to feel the other's flesh under his own again. Gary groaned as he felt Ash touch wherever he could and their movements became less hurried, slowed to a delibrate and sensual pace, acting more like lovers than ever when their lips met in a series of long and short sweet kisses.

Tumbling through Gary's door, Ash gave a surprised yelp before avoiding a painful argument with the floor as he was caught and then suddenly held as close as possible, Gary embracing him with the gentlest of touches, for the sake of their childhood and giving him the barest of kisses that somehow made tears start to gather in his hazel eyes. And then he felt hands on his jeans fingering the button suggestively and Ash pulled away just long enough to shut the door behind them.

When he turned back to Gary, he was dragged forward into a kiss and towards the bed, helplessly at the mercy of Gary's skillful tongue. The brunette's legs hit the foot of his bed and he toppled backwards onto it, bringing Ash with him to land comfortably on his chest. Ash, unaccustomed to such intensity whereas Gary was the more experienced, hestitated briefly, his thoughts trying to struggle it's way out of his love drunk stupor. But he already knew he loved Gary – something else he'd also known for a while and was too dense to understand just what his feelings were trying to tell him – and he knew he wouldn't regret doing anything with Gary, his one special person that he'd do anything for. They shimmied upwards so that Gary's back was against the head board and Ash let him undo his button and zipper, slowly slipping his jeans down his legs, taking the time to feel every contour and dip of his hips and all the way down his thighs, curving over his knees before the hazel-eyed boy was able to shake them off, all the while panting and moaning and curling his fingers through chocolate brown spikes.

Growing ever impatient with a pace that just was not fast enough, Ash went for Gary's jeans and really did try to do it so that he seemed like he wanted it to last, and he did, but he wanted him _so bad_ it was like a poet waiting for an especially beautiful sunrise so he could describe _exactly_ how it looked. It didn't seem that Gary minded much, however, as he was just as eager to be rid of his pants as Ash was and he was left in his underwear in a matter of seconds, joining Ash in semi-nudity.

Now that they were almost completely naked, and with Ash near enough straddling his hips, Gary almost couldn't stand the pressure quickly building in his groin, his hardness already pressing insistently into Ash's inner thigh, but he bit his lip and waited for Ash to move first, not wanting to scare him off before they were able to do anything. Though, he argued, they had already gone far beyond the point of innocence and if he were to be able to spend the rest of his life by Ash's side he would be happy enough with that.

As Gary was thinking these thoughts, Ash watched his eyes as he pondered what to do, having denied himself this part of life in favour of his career and the training of his pokemon. He didn't quite know how to go about pleasuring someone, let alone another male, let alone _Gary,_ but his gut told him to just trust his instincts and many times his gut had led him to victory in a pokemon battle, so he figured why not try it in the bedroom? Catiously, he settled his thighs more securely around Gary's hips and shifted his own, gently gliding himself against the brunette.

Ash tensed when a tingling, pleasant pressure in his lower belly began stirring itself, and he allowed himself a small moan, rocking his hips again with slow, experimental movements. Gary watched, mesmerised by Ash's expressions and entranced by the heavenly sounds his dark-haired frien- _lover_ emitted. He started to follow the pace that Ash was setting, slow and delibrate, raising his hips up to connect flush with Ash's in a way that drew out audible responses from both, Gary's husky deep groan matched with Ash's slightly higher, breathy whimper. Their faces steadily got closer and before they had even registered the space between them was gone, they were kissing, tongues meshing together in a lack of domimance, only letting the other feel their hands on them.

Gary's hands drifted down Ash's sides, wandering and pressing wonderfully into every spot that seemed to elicit the loudest moans from him. And then all of a sudden he was lower and his hand was sliding into his underwear, tugging them downwards. Wordlessly, Ash raised himself onto his knees and pulled Gary closer, aroused but embarrassed enough to not want Gary to see him completely naked – _just_ yet. The result was Gary's head being cradled against Ash's chest and he smirked, eyeing one pink, perk nipple before running his tongue over it experimentally, chuckling low when the dark-haired boy's eyes flew open and a particularly long and loud gasp was heard coming from him, now clutching Gary's shoulders as he also realised his knees were being raised off the bed one by one so as to rid him completely of his last piece of clothing.

And then there Ash was, kneeling naked above Gary's hips, who was leisurely enjoying his oral abuse of Ash's general chest area, licking and biting all the way up to his neck and back again, nipping his shoulders and gently rubbing circles into his lower back, keenly aware of his lover's need pressed tight against his chest and moaning himself when Ash dropped himself hard onto his lap, grinding heatedly against him. Electricity shot to his fingertips and goosebumps reappeared on his skin, prickling up all over his body as the need for a faster, hotter friction began to take hold.

Letting go of Ash reluctantly, to which the response was an almost mournful keening emitted from adorable pouting lips, Gary forced himself away from him to search in his drawers for lubricant, as he _refused_ to hurt his lover in any way. He pulled out the average-sized tube and flicked it open, crawling his way back to Ash on the bed with anticipation making his knees tremble. Ash promptly returned to his righful position – on top of Gary – and didn't say a word, only began kissing him again. Gary let out an exasperated sort of laugh into the kiss, though he hardly meant anything by it except that Ash was quite impatient (which he wasn't going to point out for the simple fact that he, too, was losing control little by little), and coated his fingers in the lubricant before pulling Ash closer and letting his hand wander down to his lover's entrance.

Well aware of the presence near him, Ash breathed out and made his body relax after it tensed when he realised what was coming next. He felt Gary slowly circle him, relaxing him further, before the first finger was slid suddenly into him and he jerked, not at the pain that he expected, but at the pleasure that had him almost releasing himself there over Gary's stomach; Gary had hit that one crippling spot deep inside him straight off the bat, that bastard. His moan went quite high and he let his head fall onto Gary's shoulder, breathing heavily, his face red.

"Are you ok? Did it hurt?" The brunette enquired, although not seriously because he already knew what he had managed to find right away.

"Nngh..." Came the mumbled response, annoyed with him, but at the same time, not about to complain. Hesitantly, he pushed himself back against the single digit and exhaled shakily when the finger slid ever deeper into him and they soon set an even pace, Ash working his way up to convulsing under Gary's touch when he added another slippery finger, the pressure feeling odd and slightly uncomfortable, but also _amazing_ in a way Ash had never thought possible for single body to feel. Sweat trickled down his brow and he flinched visibly as Gary's third finger was added, gasping loudly and groaning in a mixture of pain and pleasure, caught between the two, and he frowned with the effort to loosen up and relax even with Gary hitting his prostate every so often.

But when finally his fingers were able to slip easily in and out of him, Ash's facial expressions were just too arousing to wait any longer and his moans too sweet to bear. Gary gently withdrew his fingers, once again to Ash's annoyed whine, and hurriedly stripped himself of his own underwear (he endulged in a quiet pride when he heard the surprised gasp from Ash and the trembling in his voice as he did so) and tipped more of the lubricant into his palm, coating himself generously in the substance to ease as much harsh friction as was possible for their first time together.

Ash had begun to move onto his back but Gary pulled him up by his wrist gently and brought him back into his lap, their erections now hotly pressed against each other and they both seized up with the crackle of ecstasy that raced around their bodies. Gary became aware that Ash had his hand closed around his tightly, trying hard not to panic at the idea of what was next to come and he opened his hand, softly clasping and entwining their fingers together in a comforting, sweet gesture that didn't go unnoticed.

"It's alright, I'm here. I'll take care of you."

"Y-Yeah." Ash struggled to gasp out, forcing their both their hands to twine together in an attempt to calm and keep himself together, as if holding as hard as he could to Gary would prevent him from falling apart. "Yeah. You're here. You're _here..._with me." His green-eyed lover squeezed their hands tightly before letting go in favour of trailing down his sides, lighting fire along Ash's skin, to hold his hips. Ash felt himself being raised and he pressed his face into the nook in Gary's neck, opting to wrap his arms around his neck and Gary could feel him shaking with need and nervousness. "I love you." He said hotly into Ash's ear, to comfort him and the dark-haired boy's tightly shut eyes flew open, this having been the first time he'd said he loved him and with Ash's low pants right in his ear and against his neck, Gary lost it.

"Uhn, I- aaah, _Gaaaryyy!_"

He hadn't had time to finish his sentence before Ash felt Gary position his hips and lower him onto himself, filling him suddenly and almost instantly, shockwaves of pleasure and pain rippling and ripping his lower body in two. Ash, by reflex, bit down on the closest thing near his mouth, which happened to be Gary's shoulder. Gary moaned at both the shot of pain registered via teeth and also the incredible _heat_ he had just sheathed himself into, Ash's body tightening on him spastically as he tried to adjust to his size, shifting his hips ever-so slightly and crying softly with the intense pressure that made him feel as if he were going to explode at any second.

"Breathe slow, Ash," Gary whispered huskily, nuzzling under his jaw comfortingly as he settled himself deeper within the smaller boy, relishing how his walls stretched and clenched around him, unable to hold back his dam of moans but willing himself to stay in control of his urges for Ash's sake. Panting and whimpering, completely at the mercy of the pleasure assaulting his body, Ash had to clutch desperately to Gary as a means of holding onto his sanity, although he couldn't hold back his hips, which decided on their own to roll against Gary's jerkily, taking the brunette by surprise as, firstly, he wasn't expecting Ash to move on his own so soon and secondly, that it felt so _good._ He had always known doing this with Ash would feel phenomenally better than the easy people he had tried to replace him with, but this just felt...mind-blowing.

Ash inhaled sharply at the biting sensation of Gary grazing against his insides, but he also responded positively, his head starting to reel as if he was on a high. Gary opened his eyes that had been screwed shut at the sudden onslaught of pleasure being inside Ash had thrown at him only to see Ash's face flushed a deep, attractively red colour, his hazel eyes half-lidded as he stared right into Gary's own emerald orbs, and in that one moment, the whole world was right with itself and everything was perfect. Finally unable to take anymore waiting, his grip on Ash's hips tightened and he allowed himself one strong, overwhelming thrust upward into his lover as deep as he dared to go and his head lolled back onto the head board of the bed, shivering and gasping as his nerves were lit on fire with ecstacy.

"A-Aah! O-Oh my...G-God..." Shuddering and convulsing above him, Ash's eyes dilated as he stuttered out nonsense that sounded just beautiful to Gary's ears as he eagerly thrusted back with trembling fingers threaded through Gary's chocolate spikes. His breath sounded as though it were being punched out of him but he only pulled Gary closer so that he could engage him in a fierce kiss, exchanging their euphoria and spine-tingling pleasure.

Through brief and heated kisses, Gary murmured, "Can you move?"

"W-What? N-No...I can't...can't..._uuhhhn..."_

Gary felt like he was losing his mind listening to Ash's helpless excuses and ramblings that he found endearing. _He can't even speak properly,_ he realised, and the thought excited him even more.

"Just try it. It'll be ok, I promise."

Ash shook his head stubbornly, his breath coming in short, sharp gasps, his body twitching with the urge to move, thrust, buck- _anything_ to get rid of the storm raging in his belly that felt unbearable and wonderful all at the same time. Slowly though, Gary got him moving. His hands on Ash's hips started first, gently coaxing him upwards and back down again, creating a slow burn that scorched it's way through Ash, stirring the fire in his already painfully aroused body and compelling him to thrust back catiously, allowing Gary to repeat his actions. Gary gradually raised Ash higher, which allowed him to go deeper when he brought him down again, and he groaned in appreciation, nipping under Ash's jaw before angling his hips just right-

Garbled nonsense spouted from Ash's mouth as his prostate was hit _hard_, leaving him trembling in electrical pleasure, his fingers spasming in brown locks as his voice rose to the ceiling with Gary's name. Eager for more – maybe too eager – he rose on his own, shuddering at the feeling of pulling himself off of Gary, and slid back down onto him slowly, seeing stars flashing as the tidal wave within him brewed and coiled, angry for release.

"A-Ash," Gary breathed loudly, panting as Ash's heat enveloped him again and he shook with need as his lover constantly tensed and tightened on him, probably unconsciously, and when he repeated his action, again without Gary's help, his moans deepened with ecstasy.

"_Ash!"_

There was no warning except the calling of his name before Ash found himself flipped, his back pressing into the covers of the bed. He had a moment to feel slightly panicked at Gary's sudden passion, but it all disappeared when the brunette, emitting a feral growl, thrust himself as deep as he could within his dark-haired partner, succuming to his innermost desires that he'd tried to supress for seven long years. The gasping, writhing, bucking mess that Ash had become under his touches and kisses only furthered Gary's arousal, and he refused to hand over a few precious seconds to recollect himself, instead opting to give another hard, slick thrust that collided with Ash's prostate and made him scream in mindless pleasure, letting his own passion permeate through his body, and the notion of grinding up to meet Gary's hips was just too irresistable to even _consider_ not doing.

Reduced to this debauched state, Ash threw his arms around Gary's neck, struggling to make their lips meet as his bones were turned to mush, which he gladly let Gary take advantage of, lifting Ash's legs up and over his shoulders gently, though he did so in a way that Ash couldn't – and _wouldn't_ – argue with. The brunette's vigorous thrusts slowed down just barely, only enough so that they could first adjust to their new position and then to latch their lips together, Ash's eagerness resulting in their teeth clashing, but not painfully enough for either of them to care.

When they were connected in every way possible, Ash moaned past Gary's tongue, trying to say something. He pulled away the barest amount and said, "Gary..._faster_..." The plead ghosted over Gary's cheek and sent shivers dancing down his spine and he was happy to obey whatever Ash wanted. He increased their pace, slamming into his lover's sweet spot again and again, the sounds he dragged out of him heating his blood like nothing ever had. He slid sensually against Ash's walls that felt almost like silk encasing him and Ash's hips shot off the bed once again as his prostate was hit relentlessly, Gary already having memorised where it was and was making full use of the information.

Ash felt like he was melting from the inside out. It was so hot, and everything felt _so good,_ the pleasure shooting down to his toes and shocking the tips of his fingers, and he was seeing stars in all sorts of amazing colours and he didn't think he could hold out much longer and Gary was...Gary was-!

He couldn't help it. As inexperienced as he was, he knew enough to realise when he was at his limit. The stars he was seeing suddenly exploded in his vision as a mind-blowing, indescribable feeling of pure euphoria flooded his system and he screamed his passion in the form of Gary's name, unable to hold himself back any longer. Ash's fingers coiled in the green-eyed boy's hair, his release causing him to pull hard at the chocolate locks as his voice rose in pitch, letting his most primal instincts take over.

Gary felt Ash's body tighten heatedly around him, sucking him in deep as he came over them both, and he fell into a series of shuddering, pulsing thrusts, moaning the three most precious words that would ever pass his lips into the only pair of ears that would ever hear him say it, nipping it gently before suddenly being overwhelmed by wave after wave of delusional, mind-numbing ecstasy, his sight almost going black as he released himself into Ash. Arching off the bed and into Gary with surprise and pleasure, Ash yelped and shivered at the foreign yet tinglingly incredible feeling of being filled to breaking point.

Whimpering, once his orgasm had finally subsided into a warmth that he wore over his whole body, Ash slumped, his spine returning to the mattress loudly and none too gently, his energy drained and leaving him panting for air as if there were a limited supply of it. He felt Gary's forehead touch his, his eyes closed as the effort to open them would have been too much hassle, opting instead to slide his hands down Gary's neck and wrap his arms around him, still shivering with goosebumps and now on the verge of exhaustion.

"Gary...I love you...I missed you so much..." Hearing this, Gary reflexively tightened his grip on the smaller boy, pulling out of him slowly and carefully before drawing him as close as physically possible for a human being to be to another. His heart nearly imploded with happiness at the words. With Ash being as dense and as solely-focused on his dream as he was, Gary wasn't sure Ash would have been able to say it as easily as himself had, having already accepted it as something as natural as catching pokemon or, even simpler, tying his shoelaces.

"I know," He answered, pressing himself into Ash's side as they prepared to sleep, "I missed you too. God knows I did. I love you...I won't ever go away again. I can't stand it anymore. From now on, I'm not going anywhere without you." As Ash fell deeper into sleep, he vaguely noted a tear or two leak out of his eyes with the impact of Gary's words and he probably would have been angry at himself for the way words like that affected his heart so greatly if they had been uttered by anyone other than Gary, who he was finally sure he had loved for a long time now.

Unable to keep his hold on consciousness any longer, the last thing he felt before his mind went blank were the soft, tender lips of his lover pressed against his own.

_-Palletshipping-_

When Professor Oak came in about an hour later, following a trail of clothes up the stairs and wondering where Ash and his grandson had gone, he found the two in Gary's room, enveloped in each other's embrace in a way he knew they hadn't since they were children. Their breathing was slow and even, a sure sign of a peaceful slumber and, if he were to look a little closer, he could see their lips moving in response to their dreams. If he looked even closer than that, he would also see that it was each other's names they were mouthing in their sleep. Professor Oak took in their position, Ash cuddled into Gary's side with a hand caught up in dark chocolate hair, his head against a strong, bare chest. Gary's arms were around Ash completely, looking as if he would never let go of Ash again and would die before he let it happen.

They were both glowing with a poorly-contained happiness that seeped out even in their sleep and the Professor didn't need to analyse much else.

Closing the door quietly, an odd sort of knowing smile on his face, he chose to let them sleep rather than pull Gary away to help him with the pokemon reports hidden under his desk and ambled down the steps, taking his time in calling Delia, who was probably worried sick, to say that Ash was spending the night with Gary.

_-Palletshipping-_

It was very warm. That was the first thing that registered in Ash's foggy brain as he slowly came back into consciousness, although he struggled against the feeling of awakeness weakly. Sleep was a good thing. Unfortunately, he made the mistake of stretching out an arm to the side, his body searching for another unknowingly and Ash was forced to open his eyes groggily when he didn't feel another body reaching for him.

That didn't feel right.

He sat up carefully, well aware of the growing ache in his backside, and rubbed his eyes tiredly, looking out the window absent-mindedly to note the time of day. It looked almost morning, the sky still transitioning from black to blue. He stared uncomprehensingly for a moment before deciding to stagger his way out of bed, coming to the conclusion that, alone, he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. It was a complete lie, of course – Ash Ketchum could most definitely drop back to sleep quite easily, especially this early in the morning – but he wanted to find Gary. They had already lost enough time together, and he was determined that they wouldn't lose anymore.

As he stood himself upright, the dull pain flared in a most unfriendly way and he pondered for a moment whether he should just inhabit Gary's bed for the day, claiming a recovery period. And then his stomach sounded, and Ash gave in to his suddenly ravenous gut, which was understandable as he hadn't eaten anything since before they had arrived in Pallet yesterday. Bleary-eyed, he searched around for his clothes a while before remembering most of them had come off in the hallway and while they were stumbled up the stairs. Groaning and frowning, annoyed with how much thinking he had to do so early, he grabbed the first thing his hand got a hold of that felt like something he could wear.

Holding it up, but not really seeing it, Ash shrugged, talking to himself saying "This'll do," and chucked it on over his naked form, the garment dropping low enough to hide the parts that needed to be hidden, which was good enough for him. Shuffling over to the door, he silently swung it open, rubbing his backside gently as he _tried_ to walk to the bathroom to wash his face, which felt gross and caked in gunk as was the normal feeling after sleep. As he approached the bathroom, he became aware of the sound of someone brushing their teeth and he had to peak around the corner, hoping it wasn't Professor Oak. That would be awkward.

When he saw that it was Gary, dressed in what seemed like pyjama bottoms, lime green with peach polkadots, and nothing else, leaving his chest and back bare as he stared in the mirror checking his teeth. Ash couldn't help but creep forward and wrap his arms around Gary from behind, not scaring him as Gary had seen him in the mirror, but earning him a joyous smile and a hand placed on his own.

"Morning, sunshine." Gary murmured teasingly, knowing Ash hated mornings in general. Ash grunted in response, pressing his face further into his back.

"My butt hurts. S'all your fault." At this, Gary laughed quietly and twisted around to return Ash's embrace, tipping his chin up so their lips could meet in a loving gesture that made both of their hearts stutter.

"I see you're as chipper as ever," Gary replied, smirking at him as he pulled away and chuckled at Ash's pouting face. Then he looked Ash up and down and let out another laugh. "I also see you helped yourself to my wardrobe."

"Huh?" Confused and still more than a little disoriented, he looked down at himself, and then in the mirror, to see what he was wearing.

He'd happened to pull on the matching pyjama top to Gary's bottoms, peach polkadots and all, a long-sleeved, baggy button-up shirt that, he only now realised, revealed almost his whole lower half except his groin. His legs and thighs, however, were free for viewing, which was exactly what Gary was doing at the moment, and a little more than that too, as he confidently slipped a hand under the shirt.

"Gary! What if the Professor comes in?" Red-faced, he resisted the urge to rip the shirt off and drag Gary back to bed, annoyed with how a small action such as that could possibly arouse him that much. Gary made it worse by leaning down to whisper in his ear, his blush darkening and his will wavering.

"It's ok. He left a message saying he'd gone to check on the Poliwag and sort out a few eggs. He said he won't be back until breakfast..." As his sentence trailed off, Ash felt a light nip to the tip of his ear and supressed a whimper quickly before it was heard.

"...But before we do anything, wanna see something interesting?"

And then the warmth of Gary's body was gone and Ash was left panting a little and now slightly frustrated.

"Wha?" Frowning again, he followed Gary curiously out of the bathroom and down the stairs – well, _hobbling_ is more so the word for it, almost killing himself as he tried walking down the stairs, going one leg at a time – until he found Gary in the living room, staring at something with an amused expression on his face. "What are you staring at?" Ash asked as he made his way over to where Gary was standing.

"See for yourself." He answered, gesturing over to a place out of his eyesight from where he was at that moment. He went to stand next to Gary and looked over in the direction he was pointing.

There was Pikachu and Eevee, snuggled on the carpet of the living room so close to each other that if they weren't different colours you wouldn't have been able to make out which one was which. One of Pikachu's ears twitched and Eevee's tail seemed to flicker in response, curling around itself tighter. Pikachu's lightningbolt tail stood almost upright, leaning marginally in Eevee's direction and they were both sleeping deeply, nestled comfortably into each other's sides.

"Wow." Ash gaped, surprised.

"It's something, huh?" Gary looked at him, smirked, and wrapped his arms around Ash again, who leaned willingly into his shoulder, relishing the touches he'd missed for so long. "It's like it was meant to be."

Chuckling, Ash snorted "You didn't think it was? I thought by now, it would be natural that something like this happened."

Humming contemplatively to himself, Gary looked up, leaning his chin in Ash's head carefully, as if contemplating his statement. Then he grinned and pulled Ash into another kiss, a bit more passionate and fiery than the last.

Ignoring the previous statement he was originally supposed to be pondering, he whispered "I love you," as if it was indeed the most natural thing in the world.

And as Ash whispered the words back to him, quietly so as not to wake up their sleeping companions, his heart swelled and spilled over with love as Gary literally swept him off his feet and back to the bedroom to make love for as long as they dared.

And neither of them thought twice about how they had gotten to that point or why. Because, in the end, it was only the natural thing to do.

_end_

So, near the end when things all of a suddenly start moving pretty fast, that was the point where I started to lose it and was like, "Alright, I'm sick of this, where's the smut? -shoves Gary into scene while making up random poor excuses as to why he is suddenly there- Professor Oak, get out of the room now so they can make with the smexy time!" 8D Yeah... To be honest, I think it's really quite overwritten, describing things way too much and probably using the same words too often. I'm sorry :( Hopefully you still thought it was at least ok-ish but if not then, again, apologies, as long as you don't flame me for it :I

Interesting fact (but not really), this is the first time I've used actual lube in my fic, LOL. Their fingers are either coated in the other's spit, dry, or they get straight to it without stretching, which with that one I think I decided to do after reading some 'How to Write Slash' site that said some guys actually don't need that much stretching and some do. So that's probably where I was getting at there, haha...Hm, this is a slightly awkward subject and it's not even to do with this fic... o.o

Another interesting fact (but again, not really), is that this is my longest one-shot fic so far! Wow! Haha, I didn't notice that until I saw 19 pages (it's 24 at this point) and I was like, "Hey, I'm sure the longest one I did before was like 17 pages..." and then I was like, "But you know, that's only because this one has an actual plotline rather than the barest trace of it in your other three fics not including your 17 page one..." And then I realised I was talking to and referring to myself in third person. Yeah. And that is the story of how I realised I had written a very long one-shot. No photos please, I'm allergic :P

Anyways...read and review, people! D: I would go on a huge rant about how a load of people favourite the fic and yet don't review, because that is kind of annoying but at the same time I can't talk because I do it too sometimes, haha, but c'mon guys, a review please? Just a few minutes of your day to review? :) Really? Good, I'm glad we've come to an agreement ;) Thank you for reading! Visit me at my profile sometime, I have enough lemons to make lemonade, LOL X3


End file.
